About Me:

I'm married and have two sons, ages nine and six. I have lived in Ventura, California for about seven years, and my wife grew up here. I was originally born in Canada, lived in the US almost my entire life, and just became an American citizen in 2008.

About My Style:

Photographers, as with other visual artists, often start mumbling incoherently when you ask them to describe their style. It's a tough task to step back from your own work and analyse it in a way that makes sense. There's a temptation for a photographer to respond "just look at my work!" However that response usually isn't sufficient.

I think the best way to describe my style is "involved photojournalism". The most thrilling image for me is one that captures a fleeting emotion or spontaneous moment. But I break with the straight photojournalistic style in that I'm not afraid to interact with people, if it will bring out the best of the situation.

I'm not a big fan of traditional posing...quite frankly I think it often looks cheesy. The best pose in the world can look unnatural if the facial expression says "ugh, this feels uncomfortable". Professional models do well in these situations, but us regular folk struggle to look relaxed while playing a photographic game of Twister.

Instead, I like "action-oriented posing". I'll ask you to do something, like walk down the beach with your sweetie. Or kiss each other with your eyes closed (which is harder than it sounds, and usually results in laughter). For groups, I'll get everyone positioned properly, and then tell jokes and talk, and get people smiling. Having a genuine smile or expression is sooooooo much more important than making sure your hand is positioned just so.

I'm pretty silly when there are children around, and can usually get even the 'hard core' cases to loosen up. Adults seem to think I'm funny too, and I assume they're not talking about my looks.

About My Work:

I shoot everything on film, which you have probably figured out. Film is what drew me to photography in the first place. I shot digitally for my clients for a long time, even though for my personal work I still used film. Then I realized there was something magical I was getting from film that just wasn't there with a digital image. (Ask me about the technical reasons why this is true, if you're curious.) So a couple of years ago I decided that my clients deserve that same wonderful quality, and I made the switch to film. Yes it has certain challenges and requires skill. But I think it's worth it.

And in case you're wondering, I have my film scanned by a professional lab, who then delivers all my images as digital files. They can be edited, retouched and stored, just like any other digital image.

I really care about each one of my clients. I know that sounds like an obvious thing to say, but it's not just talk. I limit my bookings so that I can make each portrait or wedding session an important project, and you won't ever just be a number, or my "Friday 3pm". I spend - literally - many hours preparing each image to be printed. While this is the digital age, what I do requires a lot of craftsmanship and intensive labor. It is, after all, art!

All that personal attention and obsession with detail means that I'm not the cheapest photographer around. But I wouldn't have it any other way. What drives me is seeing the expressions on my clients' faces when I hand them a portrait into which I've poured my heart and soul.

So are you thinking about having family portraits made? Are you getting married and want your wedding images to soar above the ordinary? Let's meet, have some coffee, and talk about the possibilities. Contact me here.

 

photo by Desirée Durang